Shade Tree Coffee Has Closed

I am sad to write that this is a picture of the last latte that I had and will ever have at Shade Tree Coffee. They closed today for the last time. It's very sad for me, because I have so many happy memories of drinking coffee and Italian sodas while playing cards, laughing and talking there. Greg and Stephanie Lamm created such a welcoming environment that made it so easy for us to have fun. Many of my friends, who spent time with me there, have moved on to jobs in other parts of the country and now Shade Tree has moved on as well. I know it's important to remember the good times and appreciate that they happened. I'm thankful that we all had such a wonderful place for as long as we did.

Shade Tree now has a farewell message on the Shade Tree Coffee website, so be sure to check that out. Meanwhile, I'll go make some coffee from the last pound of Shade Tree beans that I have and savor every drop.

Shade Tree Coffee : Crepes!

I finally got my wish and managed to get over to Shade Tree Coffee to try their crepes. I highly recommend wishes that are exclusively food related. Here is what my Most Faithful Reader's crepe looked like. It was filled with roasted chicken and provolone. It was very good and the chicken was extremely tender.

This was my Second Most Faithful Reader's crepe, revealing the ham and provolone contents. This was great, too. I had spinach and artichoke hearts with gruyere in mine and it was wonderful. Since it was lighter, I was able help myself to samples of my FR's crepes. All of our crepes also contained the parmesan bechamel sauce.

Finally, we shared a dessert crepe, which was quite a finale. I picked the sugar, butter and cinnamon filling and it was just amazing.

Shade Tree Coffee - I Want Crepes!

I've been excited about the prospect of crepes at Shade Tree Coffee for months, but I hadn't gotten over there to check them out. Carpe Durham reviewed them not too long ago and that made me even more eager. Now that I've seen their expanded menu I just can't wait. I was there on Saturday night, around 8pm, and they serve their crepes between 9am and 7pm, Monday through Saturday. I'd missed the window, but I was also full from pizza anyway. Soon they will start serving Sunday brunch and that will be truly awesome.

Yes, I know that I often make crepe pancakes at home, but I don't make savory buckwheat pancakes and I don't keep all the sweet fillings on hand. It's just different.

Shade Tree Coffee just has the nicest of atmosphere of any coffee shop I've ever been in. Granted, I haven't been to that many, but I just have such a pleasant feeling when I go in there. Part of it is that the owners are extremely nice and always make sure we're happy if they happen to be around and they've always been talented at hiring competent and pleasant staff. I've always liked the way the cafe was decorated as well as the rotating art exhibits. Another nice aspect is the coffee itself, because it's just so good. I had a decaf skim mocha latte and I'd forgotten just how delicious they are. Of course, I also have lots of fond memories of laughter and card games, too.

To have all those things and crepes, too, is pretty spiffy, indeed.